Visit landmarks, get your caffeine and pizza fix, and drop off your mail — 10 things outsiders don’t know about the Chinatown/International District

1. Did you know Chinatown is “a city within a city”? It has several doctors, dentists, attorneys, a post office, a library, a church, social services agencies, and a community center.

2. Do you know which ethnic group dominates the Chinatown ID? Chinese is the largest, but the diversity is surprising—Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, African Americans, whites, Native Americans, and other Asian groups.

3. Did you know there is a public/charter school? Summit Public School: Sierra Charter School.

4. How many banks does Chinatown have? Six banks (all a quarter mile from each other).

Bruce Lee exhibition at the Wing Luke Museum (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

9. Did you know the Chinatown/ID has three national treasures? It is home to the Panama Hotel, the Wing Luke Asian Museum, and the historic Chinese gate.

10. Chinatown is one of the most popular spots for politicians to fundraise. The list of political luminaries includes Jim McDermott, Jay Inslee, Gary Locke, Bruce Harrell, Wes Uhlman, Rep. Sharon Tomoko Santos, Sen. Bob Hasegawa, the late Hon. Kip Tokuda, and many others. (end)